TY - JOUR
T1 - miRNAs in depression vulnerability and resilience
T2 - novel targets for preventive strategies
AU - Lopizzo, Nicola
AU - Zonca, Valentina
AU - Cattane, Nadia
AU - Pariante, Carmine Maria
AU - Cattaneo, Annamaria
PY - 2019/9/1
Y1 - 2019/9/1
N2 - The exposure to stressful experiences during the prenatal period and through the first years of life is known to affect the brain developmental trajectories, leading to an enhanced vulnerability for the development of several psychiatric disorders later in life. However, not all the subjects exposed to the same stressful experience develop a pathologic condition, as some of them, activating coping strategies, become more resilient. The disclosure of mechanisms associated with stress vulnerability or resilience may allow the identification of novel biological processes and potential molecules that, if properly targeted, may prevent susceptibility or potentiate resilience. Over the last years, miRNAs have been proposed as one of the epigenetic mechanisms mediating the long-lasting effects of stress. Accordingly, they are associated with the development of stress vulnerability or resilience-related strategies. Moreover, miRNAs have been proposed as possible biomarkers able to identify subjects at high risk to develop depression and to predict the response to pharmacological treatments. In this review, we aimed to provide an overview of findings from studies in rodents and humans focused on the involvement of miRNAs in the mechanisms of stress response with the final goal to identify distinct sets of miRNAs involved in stress vulnerability or resilience. In addition, we reviewed studies on alterations of miRNAs in the context of depression, showing data on the involvement of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of the disease and in the efficacy of pharmacological treatments, discussing the potential utility of miRNAs as peripheral biomarkers able to predict the treatment response.
AB - The exposure to stressful experiences during the prenatal period and through the first years of life is known to affect the brain developmental trajectories, leading to an enhanced vulnerability for the development of several psychiatric disorders later in life. However, not all the subjects exposed to the same stressful experience develop a pathologic condition, as some of them, activating coping strategies, become more resilient. The disclosure of mechanisms associated with stress vulnerability or resilience may allow the identification of novel biological processes and potential molecules that, if properly targeted, may prevent susceptibility or potentiate resilience. Over the last years, miRNAs have been proposed as one of the epigenetic mechanisms mediating the long-lasting effects of stress. Accordingly, they are associated with the development of stress vulnerability or resilience-related strategies. Moreover, miRNAs have been proposed as possible biomarkers able to identify subjects at high risk to develop depression and to predict the response to pharmacological treatments. In this review, we aimed to provide an overview of findings from studies in rodents and humans focused on the involvement of miRNAs in the mechanisms of stress response with the final goal to identify distinct sets of miRNAs involved in stress vulnerability or resilience. In addition, we reviewed studies on alterations of miRNAs in the context of depression, showing data on the involvement of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of the disease and in the efficacy of pharmacological treatments, discussing the potential utility of miRNAs as peripheral biomarkers able to predict the treatment response.
KW - Antidepressant response
KW - Depression
KW - miRNAs
KW - Preventive strategies
KW - Stress resilience
KW - Stress vulnerability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85069692980&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00702-019-02048-2
DO - 10.1007/s00702-019-02048-2
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85069692980
SN - 0300-9564
VL - 126
SP - 1241
EP - 1258
JO - Journal of Neural Transmission
JF - Journal of Neural Transmission
IS - 9
ER -
